Officials: Mom's beatings led to death of South Daytona boy, 4

Mother, boyfriend accused of 'torturous' abuse of boy, officials say

Published: Friday, April 26, 2013 at 3:25 p.m.

Last Modified: Saturday, April 27, 2013 at 2:24 p.m.

SOUTH DAYTONA — A 4-year-old boy who police say suffered "torturous" physical abuse at the hands of his mother and her boyfriend was found dead, and the South Daytona couple is charged with aggravated child abuse, officials say.

Mikkia Shardae Lewis and Joe Genard McCaskell were arrested Friday and booked into the Volusia County Branch Jail, each with bail set at $50,000, according to a South Daytona police report. The couple are accused of abusing the child — identified in the report as Ke'Andre and K.C. — between April 1 and 15. An official at the school the boy attended identified him as Ke'Andre Coleman.

Paramedics were unable to revive Ke'Andre on April 15 and believe he had died several hours before, according to the report. McCaskell, 32, had called 9-1-1 shortly after 1 a.m. that day, and when police arrived they saw Lewis, 22, trying to put clothes on Ke'Andre.

"I guess I whooped him too much," Lewis told detectives during an interview, according to the report. Two days before Ke'Andre died, Lewis said she also told her son that she "gives up and I don't want you anymore," the report said.

A medical examiner needed a full day to take note of all the injuries, including bruises on multiple parts of the boy's body as well as his face, scrapes, scratches and scabs on his stomach, a cut on the inside of his lip, several crescent-shaped cuts around his armpits, shoe impressions all over his body, a red and swollen bottom with open sores and a mutilated left nipple, according to the report. The medical examiner told officials the crescent-shaped cuts were consistent with fingernail impressions.

After the external exam, an autopsy revealed hemorrhaging in the boy's thighs and shoulders that appeared dislocated, according to the report. The medical examiner told officials the injuries were not suffered from a fall down stairs as Lewis told police.

Police Chief Ron Wright said additional charges are expected pending the final result of the cause of death.

"There were signs of abuse all over the place," Wright said Friday.

The boy's biological father, who Wright said is 25-year-old Andre Bullock, told police he had not seen his son during the two weeks before his death, according to the report.

Lewis and McCaskell admitted to causing the boy's injuries, but Lewis also said she was the primary disciplinarian and was recently having trouble with the boy's behavior, according to the report. The couple also admitted to forcing the boy to hold positions for 30 to 45 minutes, including standing in the corner with his arms raised above his head, keeping his back against the wall and squatting with his knees bent and arms outstretched, and holding himself in a raised push-up position.

McCaskell, who started crying and had to pause while describing the abuse, said his girlfriend had been abusing the boy long before he ever met her, according to the report.

Valeria Jerry, Lewis' aunt, said her niece and the actions of her niece were "stupid."

"She wasn't acting like a grieving mother to me," Jerry, 51, said of when she saw her niece after Ke'Andre's death. "She just always had a nonchalant attitude," Jerry said.

Tonda Taylor said she saw the boy when the couple first moved into the apartment complex.

"Other than that, I'd never seen the child come outside," Taylor, 43, said.

Jerry said Lewis told her Ke'Andre didn't need to go outside because he had enough things to play with inside the apartment.

Brian Keith, who lived in one of the apartments next door to Lewis and McCaskell, said he was sick to his stomach after hearing about the boy's death and the abuse he suffered.

Keith, 57, said after the boy was found dead, residents of the complex were hugging and consoling Lewis outside. He said he doesn't think Lewis told them the whole story because if they knew they probably wouldn't have been hugging and consoling her.

When detectives interviewed the boy's teachers, Cynthia Johnson and Susan Gilmore, both women said they had not seen any injuries during a routine health check April 11, and the boy was running and playing with classmates, according to the report. They said he was a normal 4-year-old boy.

The boy has been attending East Volusia II Head Start in Daytona Beach. He enrolled as a 3-year-old on Aug. 20, 2012, according to Head Start Executive Director Heidi Rand.

She said she did not know the child individually as the program has more than 900 students.

She did say Ke'Andre's teacher, Johnson, was extremely upset.

"She loves her children and takes everything to heart," Rand said.

Chief Wright said the boy was Lewis' only child, and McCaskell has five children of his own. He also said the couple had just moved into the apartment in the 1900 block of South Palmetto Avenue just a few weeks prior to the 9-1-1 call.

No additional information about McCaskell's five children was immediately available.

<p>SOUTH DAYTONA &mdash; A 4-year-old boy who police say suffered "torturous" physical abuse at the hands of his mother and her boyfriend was found dead, and the South Daytona couple is charged with aggravated child abuse, officials say. </p><p>Mikkia Shardae Lewis and Joe Genard McCaskell were arrested Friday and booked into the Volusia County Branch Jail, each with bail set at $50,000, according to a South Daytona police report. The couple are accused of abusing the child &mdash; identified in the report as Ke'Andre and K.C. &mdash; between April 1 and 15. An official at the school the boy attended identified him as Ke'Andre Coleman. </p><p>Paramedics were unable to revive Ke'Andre on April 15 and believe he had died several hours before, according to the report. McCaskell, 32, had called 9-1-1 shortly after 1 a.m. that day, and when police arrived they saw Lewis, 22, trying to put clothes on Ke'Andre. </p><p>"I guess I whooped him too much," Lewis told detectives during an interview, according to the report. Two days before Ke'Andre died, Lewis said she also told her son that she "gives up and I don't want you anymore," the report said. </p><p>A medical examiner needed a full day to take note of all the injuries, including bruises on multiple parts of the boy's body as well as his face, scrapes, scratches and scabs on his stomach, a cut on the inside of his lip, several crescent-shaped cuts around his armpits, shoe impressions all over his body, a red and swollen bottom with open sores and a mutilated left nipple, according to the report. The medical examiner told officials the crescent-shaped cuts were consistent with fingernail impressions. </p><p>After the external exam, an autopsy revealed hemorrhaging in the boy's thighs and shoulders that appeared dislocated, according to the report. The medical examiner told officials the injuries were not suffered from a fall down stairs as Lewis told police. </p><p>Police Chief Ron Wright said additional charges are expected pending the final result of the cause of death. </p><p>"There were signs of abuse all over the place," Wright said Friday. </p><p>The boy's biological father, who Wright said is 25-year-old Andre Bullock, told police he had not seen his son during the two weeks before his death, according to the report. </p><p>Lewis and McCaskell admitted to causing the boy's injuries, but Lewis also said she was the primary disciplinarian and was recently having trouble with the boy's behavior, according to the report. The couple also admitted to forcing the boy to hold positions for 30 to 45 minutes, including standing in the corner with his arms raised above his head, keeping his back against the wall and squatting with his knees bent and arms outstretched, and holding himself in a raised push-up position. </p><p>McCaskell, who started crying and had to pause while describing the abuse, said his girlfriend had been abusing the boy long before he ever met her, according to the report. </p><p>Valeria Jerry, Lewis' aunt, said her niece and the actions of her niece were "stupid." </p><p>"She wasn't acting like a grieving mother to me," Jerry, 51, said of when she saw her niece after Ke'Andre's death. "She just always had a nonchalant attitude," Jerry said. </p><p>Residents of Sunrise Harbor Apartments, 1920 S. Palmetto Ave., were barely aware Ke'Andre even existed. </p><p>Tonda Taylor said she saw the boy when the couple first moved into the apartment complex. </p><p>"Other than that, I'd never seen the child come outside," Taylor, 43, said. </p><p>Jerry said Lewis told her Ke'Andre didn't need to go outside because he had enough things to play with inside the apartment. </p><p>Brian Keith, who lived in one of the apartments next door to Lewis and McCaskell, said he was sick to his stomach after hearing about the boy's death and the abuse he suffered. </p><p>Keith, 57, said after the boy was found dead, residents of the complex were hugging and consoling Lewis outside. He said he doesn't think Lewis told them the whole story because if they knew they probably wouldn't have been hugging and consoling her. </p><p>When detectives interviewed the boy's teachers, Cynthia Johnson and Susan Gilmore, both women said they had not seen any injuries during a routine health check April 11, and the boy was running and playing with classmates, according to the report. They said he was a normal 4-year-old boy. </p><p>The boy has been attending East Volusia II Head Start in Daytona Beach. He enrolled as a 3-year-old on Aug. 20, 2012, according to Head Start Executive Director Heidi Rand. </p><p>She said she did not know the child individually as the program has more than 900 students. </p><p>She did say Ke'Andre's teacher, Johnson, was extremely upset. </p><p>"She loves her children and takes everything to heart," Rand said. </p><p>Chief Wright said the boy was Lewis' only child, and McCaskell has five children of his own. He also said the couple had just moved into the apartment in the 1900 block of South Palmetto Avenue just a few weeks prior to the 9-1-1 call. </p><p>No additional information about McCaskell's five children was immediately available.</p><p><i>Staff Writer Mark I. Johnson contributed to this report.</i></p>